The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-12-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 10, 1887.
Mr.. EDITOR: Public business has
made but slow progress this week. a
number of bills were introduced in the
Senate, but the House is still in statu
quo. The appointment of the Commit
tees has been delayed somewhat by the
Thebe. Carlisle contest. The House,
however, will get down to work on the
5th of January, and will then dispose of
business with dispatch. The only day
of any interest in the House was on Fri.
day, when Reed, of Maine opposed the
motion of Hatch, of Missouri, to adjourn
from the 10th of December to January 4.
The member from Maine charged that
the Democrats were only delaying public
business, which Mr.. Hatch and other
members resented, and claimed that it
would greatly expedite business to
adjourn until after the appointment of
the Committees. Reed also dc .red
that bis party was anxious for an oppor.
tunity to vote to reduce the tariff, and
the Democrats replied that they should
soon have the opportunity, and that
when they had the opportunity last ses'
sion they hsd always voted against the
reduction. In the discussion the Repub'
!icans virtually admitted that they were
agreed to vote for the repeal of the
tobacco tax, and as the Democrats have
also likewise expressed themselves, that
one question may be regarded as settled.
It is rumored that Senator Chandler,
of New Hampshire, is bitterly opposing
in committee the confirmation of Secre.
tary Lamar as Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court, but there is not the
slightest doubt of his confirmation. A
few of the Republican Senators may not
vote for it, but many of them will, and
so before many days the Secretary will
be Judge.
An important paper laid before Con.
gress this week is an index of Southern
claims al claims referred to the Court
of Claims under the Bowman act. 1t
shows the total number of claims referred
to Congreas-the disallowed aud barred
cases-to be some %, ,268, representing in
money value s6O,25S,l5O. Many of
these claims arej just, and supported by
the best evidence, but barred because not
filed within the lime allowed by the act.
1t is believed thai at day not far dis.
tant all these cases will be reopened and
sent to the Court of Claims for final
Jurisdiction.
The Postofice Department has been
the busiest of all the Departments this
week. On Thursday bids were opened
for furnishing mailbag locks, fasteners
and label holders. There were some 56
bids submitted, and they ranged from
one cent to fifty cents. They we're
merely for the use of the devices by the
Department, the Government to pay for
the material and manufacture. From
20, 900 to 25,0OO new bags are made for
use in the Department every year, and
80 the patentee of improvements in mail
bags are all anxious to have their inven-
tions adopted. The present bag in use,
has been used for 20 years past, but the
| Government is anxious to have better
bag, and SO, if any one of the bags sub.
mitted meets the requirements, it will
probably be adopted. The award will
not be made before the 18th of next Feb
ruary.
The dead letter sale is now in progress,
and the Postofice Departm ent will real.
ize many thousands of dollars from the
sale of jewelry, and all other conceivable
articles sent through the mails and never
delivered for the want of proper address
or other cause. Many bargains are
obtained by the purchasers, and many
instances can be cited where, for fifty
cents and a dollar, gold watches and
diamond rings have been purchased.
The packages are all sealed, and no pur.
chaser knows what he buys until be
opens his package after paying for it.
Nothing of national interest has trans
pired this week, and all the newspaper
men have had little but dry details to
write about. Something may be worked
up by the next letter. b.